Rome, Italy

We left Brett & Mary to continue on their holiday to Greece and headed to Rome to meet up with Courtney & Ryan who were traveling from Tuscany and arrived in Rome just ahead of us.

We met up with Courtney & Ryan at the hotel and then headed out for a late lunch. After lunch we were on the hunt for an Irish Pub so that Shane & Ryan could watch Arsenal in the FA Cup. We managed to locate a pub that was playing the match and caught the first half. We headed back to the hotel at half time to get ready for dinner. Courtney & Ryan had picked up a bottle of wine in Tuscany for Shane's birthday that we shared with them before heading out for the evening.

We had dinner within walking distance of the hotel that came recommended, and with personalized Italian notecard, from a relative of Courtney's family. I don't know what the notecard said exactly but it got us seated at a table outside immediately and excellent service throughout the whole evening - we felt as if we were seated at a table with famous people! Our server was most helpful in assisting us with ordering ... our eyes were bigger than our stomachs and if our server let us order on our own, Ryan would have ended up with three pastas and the rest of us at lest two dishes each!

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel before heading out to explore Rome. Courtney was our expert navigator and guided us through the sites we wanted to see that day. Our first stop of the day was the Trevi Fountain. After snapping a few photos and throwing in our cents, we made our way over to the Pantheon, but were unable to go in due to a service, so continued on to the Piazza Navona and explored a nearby market.

We then returned to the Pantheon and to enjoy lunch on the square. Courtney & Ryan had another personalized card for the restaurant on the square and again, we were seated right away and provided excellent service. After the lunch, we toured the inside the Pantheon and then headed towards the Colosseum.

We stopped on the way toward the Colosseum at Altare della Patria to take in some of the views of the city. The steps at Altare della Patria may have been when we all almost hit our low energy point of the day. As we climbed the steps down, we all quickly became aware of how hot it was, how thirsty we were and how hungry we were.

We powered on towards the Colosseum, with a pit-stop for gelato, and then headed back to the hotel.

We treated ourselves to more drinks on the terrace and much enjoyed the shade and being able to rest our feet - we had walked over 7 miles! Plus, the hotel had noted it was Courtney's birthday and brought us out complimentary beverages. That night we dined at a restaurant nearby the hotel that had also been recommended - it did not disappoint!

We departed the next day after one more breakfast with Courtney & Ryan at the hotel. We were so happy that we got to crash their honeymoon for a bit and spend another weekend with them!

Hondarribia, Spain

On our way from Saint-Jean-de-Luz to Bilbao, we stopped in Hondarribia which is a small town in Basque Country located in Spain near the French border. Hondarribia has an ancient old quarter and castle that is well maintained and fun to explore. When we arrived in Hondarribia, we explored the town and then grabbed lunch.

Hondarribia is also known for its pintxos so for our lunch we stopped at a few places. While the pintxos were delicious, after we left Hondarribia, we decided that we had our fill of pintxos. 

We left Hondarribia after our meal and drove to Bilbao.  Our stop in Bilbao was short with the main activity of exploring the Guggenheim Museum.  The next morning, Brett & Mary were off to Greece and we set off for Rome.  We really enjoyed spending time in Basque Country with friends!

Saint-Jean-de-Luz, France

We arrived in Saint-Jean-de-Luz early Wednesday evening as it is only about an hour drive from San Sebastian. We checked into our hotel, settled in and then set out to explore the small seaside town and find a spot for dinner. We found a spot on a small side street and were seated quickly at a table towards the back. As we had been pintxos hopping the two nights prior, it was nice to sit down for a meal.

The next morning we woke up, had breakfast in the hotel and wandered through the town. We grabbed a coffee on the square and watched a band practice before heading to the beach. We spent all day on the beach - soaking up the sun.

That night we grabbed dinner at a delicious seafood restaurant a bit outside of the main town. On our way back, we stopped at a couple of the cafes on the square to enjoy some wine and the remainder of the pleasant evening. 

The next morning, we grabbed breakfast on the square before departing for Bilbao with a planned stop in Hondarribia, Spain.  Our time in Saint-Jean-de-Luz was short but sweet.

San Sebastian, Spain

Shane and I flew into Bilbao mid-day Monday and hopped on a bus to San Sebastian to meet up with Brett & Mary. Brett & Mary were the first people that we met in London. They moved back to the U.S. about a year ago but luckily planned a holiday to Spain (and Greece) that we were able to tag along on for a bit.

We met Brett & Mary at our airbnb located just outside of the Old Town. After we settled in, we set out for lunch all partaking in the menu of the day. After lunch, we spent the afternoon exploring the town and walking along the beach. Brett & Mary spent time in Rioja prior to meeting us in San Sebastian, collecting wine bottles away along the way, so before heading out for the evening we enjoyed one of their bottles in our apartment. After enjoying the wine, we set out to the old town for a pintxos crawl. Pintxos, similar to tapas, are individualized small snacks typically served on bread when you order a beverage. The region is known for its pintxos so we had to partake.

The next morning we set out to hike a portion of Camino de Santiago. We hiked approximately 8 miles from San Sebastian to Pasajes, a small port city. The hike spanned along the coast and one view was better than the next. At some point along the hike, we must have taken the wrong way at a fork because we found ourselves on a very narrow path on a steep incline. Once we reached the top, we were happy to see that a seemingly easier trail was located right next to the tree opening we emerged from. We had a bit more to go before we reached the small port city but we were all thrilled when the village came into view. We grabbed a relaxing lunch on the water before catching a bus back to San Sebastian. A bit worn out from the hike, we headed back to the apartment for a siesta before heading back out that evening.

Refreshed and well rested, we headed to Monte Igueldo to watch the sunset and view San Sebastian from above. After the sunset, we headed back to the old town to indulge in more pintxos.

On our last day in San Sebastian, we decided that we would attempt surfing. After a pintxos breakfast, we headed to the beach to scope out surf shops. We found a shop that included everything we needed - surf boards, wetsuits and an instructor. We signed up for an hour and half lesson with the option to stay out longer if we wanted. Our instructor gave us a quick tutorial on the beach and then we were out in the water. Mary was the first up - on the first wave! - and eventually we all managed to get up on our boards. By the end of our lesson, we were exhausted.

After our surf lesson, we grabbed lunch and then hopped in Brett & Mary's rental car to set off for Saint-Jean-de-Luz!

Courtney & Ryan Visit London!

Our friends, Courtney & Ryan, who got married last December, stopped through London on their way to Italy for their honeymoon! We were thrilled that they made the stop and loved been able to hang out with them throughout the weekend.

Courtney & Ryan arrived in London Friday afternoon. Shane and I both took a half-day so were ready and waiting for them when they arrived at our flat. After Courtney and Ryan settled in, we headed to our local, Sir Richard Steele, with Martha. Martha was most excited to see Courtney and Ryan, she wouldn't stop wiggling, so she definitely was not letting us leave the flat without her. After catching up with a pint at our local, we dropped Martha at home and walked up to Hampstead for a pub dinner.  After dinner,wWe couldn't leave Hampstead without taking Courtney & Ryan to our favorite Hampstead pub, the Holly Bush, so we made one last stop before heading home for the evening.

The next morning, we grabbed breakfast at a nearby cafe and strolled to Primrose Hill to take in the view of the London skyline. After Primrose Hill, we took the tube to Tower Hill to walk around the Tower of London and cross Tower Bridge to Bermondsey. We spent our afternoon on the Bermondsey beer mile, a strip known for its craft brewers and street food market. We made two stops on the beer mile before grabbing lunch at the market. Our favorite place on the beer mile was Hiver, a London brewer who uses local honey in its beers. It started raining when we were at Hiver which enabled us to try all their honeybee products and purchase their honeybee salt scrub!

We headed home after the beer mile to freshen up for dinner and to meet Angie & Eric who were in London looking at flats; they're moving to London this summer! We booked Indian for dinner on Saturday night at one of our favorite, most chaotic places - Tayyabs. Dinner lived up to our expectations - getting seated, and waited on, was chaotic but the food was very tasty! After dinner, we had a booking at a new cocktail bar - The Sun Tavern. I led the group there, via an interesting route, and when we arrived the exterior of the place had everyone a tad worried about the place I had chosen. Luckily, the vibe inside was lively and our Scottish server made our cocktail ordering and taking all the more fun!

We woke up the next morning in time to grab breakfast before Ryan & Shane needed to head out for the Arsenal match. After Ryan & Shane left for the match, Courtney & I headed to Hampstead to collect our ingredients for the Shepard's Pie that Courtney, and I as her sous chef, were making for dinner that evening. We started at the organic produce shop, moved on to the Butcher shop, then the wine shop and made one last stop at the grocer for a final couple of items. After dropping our things at home, Courtney took me on a tour of her old stomping grounds - Courtney spent a summer in London in college. We went to her local off Baker street, grabbed lunch on James Street and wandered through Carnaby Street. After a solid afternoon of walking, we were on the tube home to start prepping dinner for the evening. The Shepard's Pie was absolutely fantastic - we all had seconds!

We were all off to Heathrow early the next morning; Courtney & Ryan heading to Italy and Shane & I on our way to Northern Spain. It was so fun having Courtney & Ryan in London and not as hard to say good-bye as we would be seeing them a few days later in Rome!